Ku Klux Klan in the news

April 23, 2014 11:32 AM

Photo: Associated Press

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Ku Klux Klan members of South Mississippi Knights and Mississippi White Knights participate in a cross-lighting ceremony following a wedding ceremony in Petal, Miss., Dec. 31, 2001. The United States Supreme Court ruled Monday, April 7, 2003, that states can punish Ku Klux Klansmen and others who set crosses afire, finding that a burning cross is an instrument of racial terror so threatening that it overshadows free speech concerns. (AP Photo/James Edward Bates) less

Ku Klux Klan members of South Mississippi Knights and Mississippi White Knights participate in a cross-lighting ceremony following a wedding ceremony in Petal, Miss., Dec. 31, 2001. The United States Supreme ... more

Members of the Ku Klux Klan march in Eddyville, Ky., Saturday,... Photo-5618047.76392 - Beaumont Enterprise

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KKK - A Ku Klux Klans member is seen moving to the area assigned to death penalty supporters Thursday June 22, 2000, in Huntsville, Tx. near The Texas Department of Criminal Justice's Huntsville Unit, where convicted murderer Gary Graham is scheduled to be executed at 6 pm. . CONFEDERATE FLAGS. less

KKK - A Ku Klux Klans member is seen moving to the area assigned to death penalty supporters Thursday June 22, 2000, in Huntsville, Tx. near The Texas Department of Criminal Justice's Huntsville Unit, where ... more

Photo: Houston Chronicle

KKK - A Ku Klux Klans member is seen moving to the area assigned... Photo-5618048.76392 - Beaumont Enterprise

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An unidentified Ku Klux Klan member uses a megaphone to speak his message Saturday, March 29, 2003, from behind a line of Tennessee Highway Patrol officers during a rally in Greenville, Tenn. About 30 members of the Ku Klux Klan staged a rare public rally Saturday as 200 counterdemonstrators and more than 100 law enforcement officers looked on. (AP Photo Jason R. Davis) less

An unidentified Ku Klux Klan member uses a megaphone to speak his message Saturday, March 29, 2003, from behind a line of Tennessee Highway Patrol officers during a rally in Greenville, Tenn. About 30 members ... more

A member of the Ku Klux Klan is joined by supporters of the death penalty as they demonstrate outside the Huntsville Unit where the death chamber is located Thursday, June 22, 2000 in Huntsville, Texas. Convicted killer Gary Graham is scheduled to be executed later Thursday. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) less

A member of the Ku Klux Klan is joined by supporters of the death penalty as they demonstrate outside the Huntsville Unit where the death chamber is located Thursday, June 22, 2000 in Huntsville, Texas. ... more

Photo: AP

A member of the Ku Klux Klan is joined by supporters of the death... Photo-5618050.76392 - Beaumont Enterprise

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Members of the Ku Klux Klan, led by the Rev. Jeffrey L. Berry, national Imperial Wizard for the KKK Church of the American Knights, right, are escorted to a KKK rally held outside the Criminal Court Building Saturday, Oct. 23, 1999 in New York. (AP Photo/Mitch Jacobson) less

Members of the Ku Klux Klan, led by the Rev. Jeffrey L. Berry, national Imperial Wizard for the KKK Church of the American Knights, right, are escorted to a KKK rally held outside the Criminal Court Building ... more

Photo: AP

Members of the Ku Klux Klan, led by the Rev. Jeffrey L. Berry,... Photo-5618051.76392 - Beaumont Enterprise

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** FILE ** Members of the Ku Klux Klan salute a burning cross in the yard of a Center Point, Ind., residence in this Nov. 4, 1995, file photo. The freedom to burn a cross, the post-prison privacy rights of sex predators and copyright protection for lingerie will occupy the Supreme Court as the justices step from behind red velvet drapes and into their courtroom next week. (AP Photo/Tribune-Star, Michael A. Curlett, File) less

** FILE ** Members of the Ku Klux Klan salute a burning cross in the yard of a Center Point, Ind., residence in this Nov. 4, 1995, file photo. The freedom to burn a cross, the post-prison privacy rights of ... more

The Rev. Jeffrey L. Berry, left, national imperial wizard for the KKK Church of the American Knights, confers with Norman Siegal, center, president of the New York Civil Liberties Union, during a rally outside the State Supreme Court Saturday, Oct. 23, 1999 in New York. The woman on the right is unidentified. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) less

The Rev. Jeffrey L. Berry, left, national imperial wizard for the KKK Church of the American Knights, confers with Norman Siegal, center, president of the New York Civil Liberties Union, during a rally outside ... more

A member of the Ku Klux Klan adjusts his hood during a rally Saturday, June 27, 1998, in Jasper, Texas. The KKK held a rally to denounce the dragging death of James Byrd Jr. The Klan marched Saturday in the Texas town where three white men allegedly dragged a black man to his death behind a pickup truck. Black counterdemonstrators carrying guns showed up and police kept the two sides apart, making one arrest as the Klan rally ended. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) less

A member of the Ku Klux Klan adjusts his hood during a rally Saturday, June 27, 1998, in Jasper, Texas. The KKK held a rally to denounce the dragging death of James Byrd Jr. The Klan marched Saturday in the ... more

Photo: AP

A member of the Ku Klux Klan adjusts his hood during a rally... Photo-5618054.76392 - Beaumont Enterprise

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CONTACT FILED: DARRON ANDERSON Copy photos of pictures provided by the alleged victim Darron Anderson of the office party where as a DPS trooper in 1989 he was greeted by co-workers in KKK outfits...apparently as a joke. He was not amused in spite of the smile in several photos. HOUCHRON CAPTION (01/06/2000): Darron Anderson is shown in a 1989 photo with fellow Texas state troopers who were wearing Ku Klux Klan-style hoods at his birthday party. Though smiling, Anderson said he was not amused. HOUCHRON CAPTION (01/08/2000): After seeing photos of a 1984 party in which co-workers donned white hoods like those worn by the KKK, DPS Trooper Darron Anderson, seated, asked for a similar party in 1988, his former supervisor said. less

CONTACT FILED: DARRON ANDERSON Copy photos of pictures provided by the alleged victim Darron Anderson of the office party where as a DPS trooper in 1989 he was greeted by co-workers in KKK ... more

Members of various Ku Klux Klan organizations from Alabama, Florida, Texas and Louisiana marched through downtown Jennings, La., Saturday, April 28, 2001, for a rally in front of the Jennings Public Safety Building. In all, about 40 KKK members marched and held a 40-minute rally. (AP Photo/American Press, Shawn Martin) less

Members of various Ku Klux Klan organizations from Alabama, Florida, Texas and Louisiana marched through downtown Jennings, La., Saturday, April 28, 2001, for a rally in front of the Jennings Public Safety ... more

Photo: AP

Members of various Ku Klux Klan organizations from Alabama,... Photo-5618057.76392 - Beaumont Enterprise

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Quanell X, right, a Muslim leader from Houston, is restrained by a Jasper police officer as he yells at a member of the Ku Klux Klan after their rally Saturday, June 27, 1998, in Jasper, Texas. The KKK held a rally to denounce the dragging death of James Byrd Jr. Black counterdemonstrators carrying guns showed up and police kept the two sides apart, making one arrest as the Klan rally ended. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) less

Quanell X, right, a Muslim leader from Houston, is restrained by a Jasper police officer as he yells at a member of the Ku Klux Klan after their rally Saturday, June 27, 1998, in Jasper, Texas. The KKK held a ... more

David Duke, former Louisiana KKK grand wizard and 1988 Populist Party presidential candidate, speaks in front of the Statehouse in Columbia, S.C., against the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's as yet unofficial boycott of South Carolina, during a rally designed to show support for the Confederate flag that flies atop the Statehouse, Saturday, Oct. 9, 1999. Public safety officers said the crowd, at its peak, was no more than 300 people. (AP Photo/The State, Ricard Alan Hannon) less

David Duke, former Louisiana KKK grand wizard and 1988 Populist Party presidential candidate, speaks in front of the Statehouse in Columbia, S.C., against the National Association for the Advancement of Colored ... more

Carlos Dixon stands by the some of the spray painted graffiti on his home in Semmes, Ala., Monday, June 10, 2002. Vandals sprayed ``KKK,'' ``cotton pickers'' and ``slaves'' on the home and property of Dixon who moved into a racially mixed neighborhood four months ago and flew the American flag out front. (AP Photo/Mobile Register, Ron Colquitt) less

Carlos Dixon stands by the some of the spray painted graffiti on his home in Semmes, Ala., Monday, June 10, 2002. Vandals sprayed ``KKK,'' ``cotton pickers'' and ``slaves'' on the home and property of Dixon ... more

Photo: AP

Carlos Dixon stands by the some of the spray painted graffiti on... Photo-5618060.76392 - Beaumont Enterprise

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Ku Klux Klansmen use a flag to help conceal their identities during a rally held outside the Criminal Court Building Saturday, Oct. 23, 1999 in New York. While they won a permit to rally through the courts, they were denied permission to wear their trademark masks. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews) HOUCHRON CAPTION (10/24/1999): Ku Klux Klansmen use a flag to help conceal their identities during a rally Saturday in New York. less

Ku Klux Klansmen use a flag to help conceal their identities during a rally held outside the Criminal Court Building Saturday, Oct. 23, 1999 in New York. While they won a permit to rally through the courts, ... more

Photo: AP

Ku Klux Klansmen use a flag to help conceal their identities during... Photo-5618061.76392 - Beaumont Enterprise

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Norman Siegal, head of the New York Civil Liberties Union, speaks to the media during a Ku Klux Klan rally held outside the New York State Supreme Court building Saturday, Oct. 23, 1999, in New York. (AP Photo/Suzanne Plunkett) less

Norman Siegal, head of the New York Civil Liberties Union, speaks to the media during a Ku Klux Klan rally held outside the New York State Supreme Court building Saturday, Oct. 23, 1999, in New York. (AP ... more

Photo: AP

Norman Siegal, head of the New York Civil Liberties Union, speaks... Photo-5618062.76392 - Beaumont Enterprise

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Suffolk County police officers stand behind some of the items confiscated during a search warrant of the home of Joseph Donato, Jr. Sunday, May 25, 2003, in Hauppauge, N.Y. The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office announced that they had arrested Donato Friday on weapons charges. Police confiscated dozens of weapons, a Ku Klux Klan gown and hood, and other apparel adorned with swastikas and racist emblems. (AP Photo/Ed Betz) less

Suffolk County police officers stand behind some of the items confiscated during a search warrant of the home of Joseph Donato, Jr. Sunday, May 25, 2003, in Hauppauge, N.Y. The Suffolk County District ... more

James Sheeley, center, of the New York and New Jersey Ku Klux Klan, wipes a scrape on his cheek that he received in a scuffle with an unidentified anti-KKK protester at the start of a KKK rally in New York, Saturday, Oct. 23, 1999. An unidentified Klan member tends to Sheely, left, as another Klansman looks on, right. (AP Photo/Ed Betz) less

James Sheeley, center, of the New York and New Jersey Ku Klux Klan, wipes a scrape on his cheek that he received in a scuffle with an unidentified anti-KKK protester at the start of a KKK rally in New York, ... more

Photo: AP

James Sheeley, center, of the New York and New Jersey Ku Klux Klan,... Photo-5618064.76392 - Beaumont Enterprise

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KRT US NEWS STORY SLUGGED: KUKLUXKLAN-1 KRT PHOTOGRAPH BY JAMES EDWARD BATES/BILOXI SUN HERALD (June 12) Members of America's Invisible Empire participate in a cross lighting ceremony on May 26, 2002 in Rock Creek, Alabama, at the home of Imperial Wizard Ricky Draper. Leaders from across the United States came together for an annual national meeting for the organization to discuss business matters and plans for future protests and rallies. (BI) NC KD 2002 (Horiz) (lde) less

KRT US NEWS STORY SLUGGED: KUKLUXKLAN-1 KRT PHOTOGRAPH BY JAMES EDWARD BATES/BILOXI SUN HERALD (June 12) Members of America's Invisible Empire participate in a cross lighting ceremony on May 26, 2002 in Rock ... more

Jeffrey Berry, national imperial wizard of the American Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, salutes while saying 'white power,' as Klan members are escorted by police from a rally held in New York, Saturday, Oct. 23, 1999. After days of legal maneuvering about their rights to rally, KKK members stood silently inside a pen fashioned from police barricades on Saturday and faced the jeers of thousands of protesters. (AP Photo/David Karp) less

Jeffrey Berry, national imperial wizard of the American Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, salutes while saying 'white power,' as Klan members are escorted by police from a rally held in New York, Saturday, Oct. 23, ... more

FILE--Police officers escort robed Ku Klux Klansmen across the street in Piqua, Ohio, before the start of a rally at the courthouse Saturday, Sept. 25, 1999. KKK rallies have cost communities as much as $800,000 this year in increased security. (AP Photo/Piqua Daily Call, Robert Moorhead, File) less

FILE--Police officers escort robed Ku Klux Klansmen across the street in Piqua, Ohio, before the start of a rally at the courthouse Saturday, Sept. 25, 1999. KKK rallies have cost communities as much as ... more

An unidentified member of the Ku Klux Klan holds a Confederate flag and American flag while taunting the crowd on the steps of the Schuylkill County Courthouse, Saturday, Sept. 26, 1998, in Pottsville, Pa. The American Knights of the Ku Klux Klan were confronted throughout their one-hour rally with spectators holding up anti-KKK signs and yelling obscenities as the 26 Klan members spoke.( AP Photo/Johnathan Paroby) less

An unidentified member of the Ku Klux Klan holds a Confederate flag and American flag while taunting the crowd on the steps of the Schuylkill County Courthouse, Saturday, Sept. 26, 1998, in Pottsville, Pa. The ... more

Photo: AP

An unidentified member of the Ku Klux Klan holds a Confederate flag... Photo-5618069.76392 - Beaumont Enterprise

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DRAGGING DEATH -- K.C. Adams of Jasper watches Ku Klux Klan member. Jasper. Ku Klux Klan rally 06/27/98. HOUCHRON CAPTION (06/28/1998): K.C. Adams of Jasper, left, exchanges a glance with a 17-year old Ku Klux Klan member holding a Rebel flag, who would identify himself only as John of Cleveland, as he talks with the media before the KKK rally in front of the jasper County Courthouse on Saturday. HOUCHRON CAPTION (12/27/1998): . K.C. Adams, left, of Jasper exchanges a wary glance with a 17-year-old Ku Klux Klan member before a June KKK rally in the wake of a slaying in Jasper that was thought to be racially motivated. HOUSTON CHRONICLE SPECIAL SECTION/TEXAS MAGAZINE: LOOKING BACK REVIEW '98. less

FILE - In a Tuesday March 5, 1996 file photo, John Howard, owner of the Redneck Shop in Laurens, S.C. and former KKK grand dragon for the Carolinas, gestures while talking to a reporter. A judge has ruled that the New Beginnings Baptist Church is the rightful owner of the building where The Redneck Shop is located. New Beginnings sued John Howard and others in 2008, saying the property was transferred to the church in 1997 by a Klansman fighting with others inside the hate group. (AP Photo/Lou Krasky, File) less

FILE - In a Tuesday March 5, 1996 file photo, John Howard, owner of the Redneck Shop in Laurens, S.C. and former KKK grand dragon for the Carolinas, gestures while talking to a reporter. A judge has ruled that ... more

This undated photo provided by Amber Caldwell, shows a snowman that depicts a white hooded figure associated with the Klu Klux Klan in the front yard of Mark Eliseuson in Hayden, Idaho. Kootenai County sheriff's deputies told Eliseuson Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2010 that he could be charged with a crime because the 10-foot-tall snowman was holding what appeared to be a noose. Deputies were called by neighbors who were appalled by the pointy-headed snowman with two dark eyes. (AP Photo/Amber Caldwell) NO SALES less

This undated photo provided by Amber Caldwell, shows a snowman that depicts a white hooded figure associated with the Klu Klux Klan in the front yard of Mark Eliseuson in Hayden, Idaho. Kootenai County ... more

FILE - In a Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2008 file photo, Rev. David Kennedy, pastor of New Beginnings Baptist Church, stands outside The Redneck Shop in Laurens, S.C. A judge has ruled that the New Beginnings Baptist Church is the rightful owner of the building where The Redneck Shop is located. New Beginnings sued John Howard and others in 2008, saying the property was transferred to the church in 1997 by a Klansman fighting with others inside the hate group.(AP Photo/Patrick Collard, File) less

FILE - In a Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2008 file photo, Rev. David Kennedy, pastor of New Beginnings Baptist Church, stands outside The Redneck Shop in Laurens, S.C. A judge has ruled that the New Beginnings Baptist ... more

FILE - In a Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2008 file photo, Rev. David Kennedy, right, looks at items as John Howard watches him inside The Redneck Shop in Laurens, S.C. A judge has ruled that Kennedy's church, the New Beginnings Baptist Church, is the rightful owner of the building where The Redneck Shop is located. New Beginnings sued John Howard and others in 2008, saying the property was transferred to the church in 1997 by a Klansman fighting with others inside the hate group. (AP Photo/Patrick Collard,File) less

FILE - In a Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2008 file photo, Rev. David Kennedy, right, looks at items as John Howard watches him inside The Redneck Shop in Laurens, S.C. A judge has ruled that Kennedy's church, the New ... more

Kevin Swift of the National Socialist Movement of America watches nearby protesters at a KKK rally June 10, 2006, at the Antietam National Battlefield in Sharpsburg, Md. Members of the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups rallied Saturday at the Antietam National Battlefield, believed to be the first time a group was given permission to demonstrate at the site of the bloodiest day of the Civil War. (AP Photo/Matt Houston) less

Kevin Swift of the National Socialist Movement of America watches nearby protesters at a KKK rally June 10, 2006, at the Antietam National Battlefield in Sharpsburg, Md. Members of the Ku Klux Klan and other ... more

Ken Krauss of the National Socialist Movement, center, salutes with members of the Ku Klux Klan, Saturday, June 10, 2006, at the Antietam National Battlefield in Sharpsburg, Md. About 30 people, some in white robes and others in the military-style clothing and swastika armbands of the National Socialist Movement of America, stood next to a farmhouse on the battlefield. (AP Photo/Matt Houston) less

Ken Krauss of the National Socialist Movement, center, salutes with members of the Ku Klux Klan, Saturday, June 10, 2006, at the Antietam National Battlefield in Sharpsburg, Md. About 30 people, some in white ... more

As Memphis Police in riot gear lineup Alvianca McLemore holds a sign of love in a holding area on Adams while waiting for a KKK rally in Memphis, Tenn. Saturday, March 30, 2013. The Ku Klux Klan announced plans to protest in Memphis after the Memphis City Council renamed three Confederate-themed city parks in February. (AP Photo/The Commercial Appeal, Mark Weber) less

As Memphis Police in riot gear lineup Alvianca McLemore holds a sign of love in a holding area on Adams while waiting for a KKK rally in Memphis, Tenn. Saturday, March 30, 2013. The Ku Klux Klan announced plans ... more

The Rev. David Kennedy outside the Redneck Shop, which sells Klan and Confederate knick-knacks including infamous white robes, in Laurens, S.C., Jan. 4, 2011. Last month, a state circuit judge in Greenwood, S.C., decided that KennedyâÄôs New Beginning Missionary Baptist Church holds the valid title to the old Echo Theater, which houses the Redneck Shop he has been fighting against for more than fifteen years. (John Adkisson/The New York Times) less

The Rev. David Kennedy outside the Redneck Shop, which sells Klan and Confederate knick-knacks including infamous white robes, in Laurens, S.C., Jan. 4, 2011. Last month, a state circuit judge in Greenwood, ... more

Sean Vick, after hearing about the possible closure, writes down the phone number of the Redneck Shop, which sells Klan and Confederate knick-knacks including infamous white robes, in Laurens, S.C., Jan. 4, 2011. Last month, a state circuit judge in Greenwood, S.C., decided that Rev. David KennedyâÄôs New Beginning Missionary Baptist Church holds the valid title to the old Echo Theater, which houses the Redneck Shop he has been fighting against for more than fifteen years. (John Adkisson/The New York Times) less

Sean Vick, after hearing about the possible closure, writes down the phone number of the Redneck Shop, which sells Klan and Confederate knick-knacks including infamous white robes, in Laurens, S.C., Jan. 4, ... more

Judy Robinson, pictured November 18, 2008, discovered KKK and "white power" graffiti outside her house shortly after she put an Obama campaign sign in her front yard in Angie, Louisiana. (Howard Witt/Chicago Tribune/MCT) less

Judy Robinson, pictured November 18, 2008, discovered KKK and "white power" graffiti outside her house shortly after she put an Obama campaign sign in her front yard in Angie, Louisiana. (Howard Witt/Chicago ... more